Nursery gives Brownies lilies to plant at park

The 19 girls of Brownie Troop 299 have learned that good deeds do pay off.

Nearly a month ago, the girls planted 14 day lilies in front of Swann Park in Crofton. But two days later, the yellow flowers were plucked from their beds.

Yesterday, the girls replaced the original plants with 14 new ones, also with yellow blooms, thanks to representatives of a Davidsonville nursery who heard about the girls' plight and decided to help.

"It seemed like a nice gesture," said Michael Fountain, advertising manager at Homestead Gardens. "One of our projects was to do more county beautification. [This] fit right in."

Nursery officials were not the only ones to respond to the girls' misfortune, which was publicized in local newspapers. Two citizens and another nursery offered to help, but Homestead responded first, said Jane Roach, one of Brownie Troop 299's leaders.

"We're very pleased," said Ms. Roach. "It's reassuring. It's not a life-threatening or death event but it's a good lesson for the girls."

The girls picked up the lilies, valued at $100, from Homestead Gardens Wednesday and planted them yesterday.

"It was really nice of the place to give us new day lilies because we were going to have to buy new ones," said 9-year-old Meghan Gregoire, the Brownie who first noticed the flowers were missing.